Unexpected Turns
by sweetkiwi604
Summary: Because there is always that one person to turn to when you feel like you're drowning. Sam/OC. One shot. Complete.


**Happy birthday to SPNxBookworm! Hope you have the best day, dear :)**

**Quick background: this is set when Sam is at Stanford but before he met Jessica.**

Unexpected Turns

Sam Winchester had just turned off the lamp next to his bed and rested his head on the fluffy pillow when there was a loud crash right outside his dorm room. Years of training had him on his feet in seconds with a baseball bat that he kept close by. He crept closer to the door being careful to avoid the few floorboards that creaked and when there was a soft knock he loosened his grip on the bat. He clicked the lock and opened the door enough to peek through the crack, opening it fully when he saw one of the first friends he made since starting Stanford.

"April?" he questioned, setting the bat to the side and opening the door fully. She stood there with a long tan trench coat wrapped tightly around her and black smudges of mascara on her cheeks. Her normally silky smooth hair was soaked from the rain and starting to curl. She had just finished picking up the stack of books by her feet that must have fallen when she went to knock on his door. Sam ushered her into the small room, flipping on a light and shutting the door behind them. "Are you alright? What happened?"

April took a few shaky breaths unsure of why she came in the first place. She had other friends she could have gone to but there was something comforting about Sam's presence. Comfort; she thought that was what she needed as she walked across campus in the middle of the night but now that he was watching her closely she just wanted to forget the whole thing.

"Here," Sam handed her a towel to dry her off with and his kindness broke down any barrier that she had tried to keep up.

Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. "Thanks," she barely could get the word out as her voice cracked.

He helped her out of her soaked coat and hung it on the back of a chair to dry, grabbing one of his sweatshirts on his way back. She tugged it on to keep out the chill and the sweatshirt swallowed her small frame making Sam smile. He sat next to her on the futon that was up against the wall and waited for her to collect her thoughts. When she had been quiet for longer than he was able to bear he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What's going on, April?"

"It just all feels so hopeless," she hung her head in shame.

This wasn't what college was supposed to be. She thought it would have been her chance to shine. She had been at the top of her class in high school, had been over the moon when she received her acceptance letter for Stanford, and even settled into the new town rather easily. That was until classes started. Now she felt like her legs were about to give out from trying to tread water for so long and her head slowly slipped below the surface to the point where she was drowning. It was paper after paper about topics that would have been easier if they were in a different language. Then exams came and she spent every waking minute studying and when the day came to take the test she froze.

"Did something happen?" Sam pressed her, genuinely confused on where this was all coming from. He had never met anyone like April before who had such control over their emotions. She even had Dean beat so as she sat next to him with silent tears still rolling down her checks Sam felt a protectiveness welling up inside of him.

She sniffled a bit, trying to get a hold of herself, "No…not really. I mean it's just…yeah…never mind. This is stupid. I'm fine."

Shifting so that he was facing her, Sam placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and tilted his head to catch her line of sight. "Hey, hey. It's not stupid and you're obviously not okay."

April was quiet for a moment as she tried to find the right words. Her finger wound around a string that was hanging off the pocket of the sweatshirt and then uncoiled it. She repeated the process so many times her finger was getting red where the sting was cutting into her skin. "Did you ever get the feeling that this wasn't how your life was supposed to go?"

Sam let out a long breath and nodded, "Yeah, yeah I do."

If anyone understood about life taking unexpected routes it was Sam Winchester. Memories flashed through his mind of the night he left for Stanford and the fight he had with his father. He thought of his brother leaning against the wall not offering up a single word because that would mean he was taking sides and choosing one family member over the other. He thought about the countless motels they had lived in over the years, the hundreds of supernatural beings he had put to rest, and the scars he would forever have with him as a reminder of that time. Sam knew exactly what it felt like for life to take an unexpected turn yet he still didn't have the words to take away that same disappointment that April was now feeling. So instead he put his arm around her and tugged her into his side. He hoped he wasn't overstepping some boundary but that worry was quickly put to rest as she fisted his shirt and cried into his chest.

April's cries turned to angry sobs until she just didn't have anymore tears left. Sam held her close the entire time giving her the comfort she was longing for and when she pulled away the broken expression on her face almost shattered him. There was a beat of silence as his eyes flickered from her eyes to her parted lips and then he kissed her. It was feather light and only last a second but he was sure he felt something inside of him fixing itself. He used his thumbs to wipe away the black streaks that looked like tattooed tears and then pulled her in for another kiss. She responded to him this time, opening herself up and letting him take the control she didn't want to have anymore.

When they finally pulled apart she blushed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry for stopping by so late. I shouldn't have just showed up without calling or-"

Sam shook his head with a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. He wasn't naïve enough to think one kiss, or even two, would solve all of her problems but at least she wasn't crying anymore. He cut off her rant with one more quick kiss before pulling the blanket off the back of the futon and getting more comfortable.

"Why don't you crash here for the night."


End file.
